This is the key message that ran through all of Steffen Peters’ work and is the reason that he’s the 2009 World Cup and Aachen CDIO champion.

The message was delivered from the most affable and likeable guy in a very un-pressured way. Raising our expectations means not accepting 13 strides to achieve a transition, which should be done in two strides, not accepting a transition that’s against the bit, not accepting work that isn’t supple through the back and poll. Riders were encouraged to think for themselves to actively train their horses, rather than waiting to be told every aid at every step along the way.

We also learned some excellent core strength and flexibility exercises from Massey University’s Darryl Cochrane who tag-teamed with Steffen on the importance of riders taking themselves seriously as an athlete. Steffen himself works with his personal trainer three times each week.

Massey University’s Dr Chris Rogers and Dr Erica Gee gave excellent sessions – Chris again tag-teaming with Steffen to link his points to real-life exercises with the horses in the arena.

We were also pleased to have the new FEI Director of Dressage Trond Asmyr presenting on a range of topics from the FEI Judges Task Force’s judging experiments in Aachen the week prior, the latest developments in the FEI’s journey towards a cleaner sport and of course with his Judge’s hat on, the technical aspects of training and judging Young Horses and various movements from Prix St Georges to Grand Prix.

Steffen gave some wonderful insights into his coaching approach in an interview for the next ESNZ Coach Magazine and check out the next edition of The Bulletin for more stories and photos.

Congratulations to the organisers for a very successful weekend with world-leading presenters.

Lisa Potter writes of Peters’ philosophy:

With his love of horses evident throughout the FEI Regional Dressage Forum, held at Manfield Park this weekend in Feilding, Peters’ helped riders and trainers see the positive in every situation.

He encouraged riders to raise their expectations and to see any mistakes made as an opportunity for further training:
“Don’t be afraid to be very clear about what your aid is and what you want. Be straight to the point and get an immediate reaction. Too often around the world, not just here, we see riders giving an aid five or six times, for minimal or even no reaction.”

Peters encourages riders to consistently test whether they can use a lighter aid each time:
“Raise your standards – horses need to respect each and every input and riders need to consistently check that they are clear in what they are asking the horse.”

He also encouraged riders to discuss and negotiate with the horse:
“Of course the horse is entitled to have an opinion, but he does not need to argue about it!”

Peters advocated adjusting the horse to keep it supple and soft:

“Too often riders get tricked into being like show riders and sitting pretty but not being completely effective. It is important not to be afraid of mistakes – who cares if you make a mistake? Then we can fix it and take care of business and the horse learns and progresses from that mistake. Every mistake is a training opportunity.”


SOURCE: ESNZ